Wood is often treated with toxic wood preserving chemicals when used in the construction of wooden structures such as fences, posts and telephone poles, especially wood that will be in constant contact with soil. These toxic chemical preservatives include, but are not limited to, creosote, pentachlorophenol, copper naphthenate and arsenic salts, such as copper chromated arsenic.
Wood poles make up a substantial percentage of poles used in transmission and distribution of electricity throughout the world and wood posts are commonly used to support structures such as fences. Since wood is a natural material, it is susceptible to deterioration by decay organisms especially at the ground line where the wood pole is supported in the earth. To extend the life of wood, the wood is pressure treated before installation with volatile chemicals, such as creosote, pentachlorophenol, and various combinations of arsenic salts and the like. Even though some wood is treated under pressure, the depth of penetration of the chemicals is typically limited to the outside two or three inches of the pole. When wood is placed in the ground, natural weathering allows decay organisms to flourish resulting in the formation of voids in the wood and thus a loss of structural integrity of the wood. This is especially true within the wood adjacent the ground lines where the wood enters the earth since the wood in the earth tends to absorb and accumulate moisture in the base which encourages the growth of fungi and other decay organisms. Typical methods used to arrest this decay include the application of highly toxic chemicals and fumigants that are injected into the void area created by the decay organisms. In addition, biocides are painted on the outside of the pole below the ground line to prevent additional undesirable organisms from entering the wood from the soil.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,305 was for a method for in-situ treatment of wood utility poles that included excavating an area around the base of a wood pole supported in the earth and drilling a plurality of holes in the wood pole for injecting isophorone containing compounds thereinto. A preselected coating was used to coat a portion of the pole adjacent the excavated area with a preselected compound containing an isophorone solvent and then covering the coated portion of the pole with a covering wrap prior to refilling the excavated area around the wooden pole for treating the pole in-situ for preventing decay. The selected coating material included an isophorone solvent formulated with a wax and an acrylic resin. The method also included drilling any portion of a utility pole and injecting an isophorone compound thereinto to disperse the remaining creosote or pentachlorophenol in a treated utility pole.
Isophorone (3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-one-1) compounds have been shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,305 and No. 6,576,673 to be highly effective in penetrating and sealing wood. The coating migrates through moisture and is highly miscible in water and will liquify certain types of preservatives. It is used with paraffin wax to provide a water repellant barrier and surface coating on the wood. Field tests have shown that these formulations, while effective for woodpecker deterrence, does not necessarily provide long-term protection of the wood.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,862 and No. 6,908,643 also describe surface coatings. U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,862 deters woodpeckers by blending isophorone with an epoxy resin and acrylic based sealant to form a resin composition and mixing the resin composition with a solvent resistant epoxy hardener to form a coating material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,643 expands the technology and prevents animals from chewing on a structure with a composition which includes isophorone, organic-clay absorber, Bisphenol A Diglycidal Ether Polymer and polyamide resin harder. This patent expands the technology to horses and other animals with the addition of absorbers and glass flakes or mica as well as a microencapsulated acrylic resin-based sealant and a flocculated silica thickener. The primary binder of each coating is epoxy and the targets of each have been horses, woodpeckers and other animals, such as dogs.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,441, is for a system for the repair of damaged wood utility poles which may have been damaged by woodpeckers. A polymer foaming agent is used to fill voids in the wood pole and to plug a passageway leading from the exterior of the pole to the void space.
The present invention is for a composition and a process for the treatment of wood to protect the wood from decay organisms and wood destroying insects. The composition includes a mixture of epoxy micro-encapsulated essential oils with a wood coating composition containing an anionic asphalt emulsion capable of producing essential oil anions therefrom when coating wood. The selected mixture is used to coat wood to protect the wood from decay organisms and wood destroying insects.